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UtahStatesman The

Utah State University

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 Breaking News

Logan, Utah

School receives largest private donation to date

www.utahstatesman.com

Giving your heart and sole

By LIZ LAWYER assistant news editor

American Electric Power to pay a $4.6 million settlement to reduce pollution.

Campus News

Professor Jack Santino speaks on the ritualesque and folk memorialization of war. Page 3

Features Pull out the cheese and learn which wine goes best with a variety of foods. Page 4

Sports Ohio State transfer Brayden Bell is set to contribute in a big way to the men’s basketball team. Page 8

When USU President Stan Albrecht approached Utah businessman Marc Bingham about a possible donation to USU, Bingham’s reaction was more droll than Albrecht probably realized. “You sons of bitches tried to keep me out when I went to college, and now you want a donation from me?” he said he thought. Bingham was kidding. He showed it by giving the largest single private donation in USU’s history – $15 million to go toward the construction of a building on the Uintah Basin campus in Vernal. Bingham, a USU alumnus, said he lost contact with the university over the years until Albrecht came to him with the idea of donating. “I said, ‘I’ll build you a building,’” he said. The building will be the second on the Vernal campus. It will be an Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center and will be used to train students in fields ranging from business to engineering to environmental policy and more. Robert Foley, chair of the Education Committee for the Vernal area Chamber of Commerce and a member of USU’s Board of Trustees, said the gift of Bingham and his wife, Debbie, will fulfill long-time goals for USU’s Vernal campus. “Many of us have dreamed for years of a campus presence in Vernal,” Foley said. “We all would like to thank you, Mr. Bingham, for making those dreams real.” Bingham, a Vernal native, graduated from USU in 1963 with a degree in wildlife management. He said he spent several semesters teetering on the edge of academic probation – hence the “you tried to keep me out” comment. After graduating, he worked a few years with the Bureau of Land Management before becoming involved in business and establishing the Phone Directories Company, one of the most successful independent publishers in the yellow page industry. Now officially retired, Bingham said it was just time to start giving back. “I’ve been a little bit lucky in life,” he said. “I’ve come a long way from picking up roadkill for a living. “We’ve reached that time in life where we’re getting to retire. We have enough to do what we want to do and have some left over. You can’t take it with you. I never saw a hearse with a U-Haul trailer behind it full

- See GIFT, page 3

During the last week, USU students donated 526 pairs of shoes to Aggies for Africa for Feet First, a shoe drive. Boxes for donations were in Old Main, the Merrill-Cazier Library and the TSC. The shoes will be donated to the people of Zambia with the help of Mothers Without Borders. TYLER LARSON photo

Scream canceled to end competition between Institute and USU activities By RANAE BANGERTER staff writer

The Scream is canceled this year, as well as any other Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute activity that is in competition with the University. “I think at times the University felt like there was a competition,” said Institute of Religion Student Council President Cam Lee. “We want to make sure that (the University doesn’t) feel that way and they feel that we are totally here to serve them and to help them achieve their vision and their goals.” The Institute advisory council met a few weeks ago to discuss working with the University and also canceling the Scream. The final decision was made last week. The very reason the Scream was started was to be in direct competition with the Howl, but the Institute wants to change that, said Institute Director Wayne Dymock. The Scream began as a Cache Valley young single adult activity, but had been passed to the Institute in recent years, Dymock said. The Howl was not seen as a positive activity for many in the valley, he said, and the campus LDS Priesthood Leader Gordon Low agreed. “I don’t think there’s any question that the Howl has some elements that haven’t been particularly favorable,” Low said. “I’ve talked to the administration at the school and they want to do what they can to make improvements where needed.” Low said the Institute will not be holding the Scream but if LDS wards and stakes want to have their own Halloween parties they can.

“I know some (people) are going to be disappointed with it, I know that,” he said. “On the same token, a Halloween party presented by the Institute isn’t live or die, it’s not an ‘oh my gosh the world has ended and I can’t go to a Halloween party provided by the Institute.’” Low said what they are trying to do is to get away from being the activity center and divert that responsibility to the wards and stakes. The Scream and the Howl are not the only activities that have butted heads with the University in the past. Dymock said blood drives would be scheduled back to back. The Latter-day Saint Student Association on campus is now trying to facilitate the communication through the Associated Students of USU. Lee told ASUSU in a meeting last week that the LDSSA wants to do all they can to help them. “What we want to do is now shift our resources towards the University and assist and help and make this University a great university in everything they do,” Lee said. Tim Ray, LDSSA president, said he has been working with ASUSU and along with their committees, more campus service organizations like the sororities and fraternities have now been coming to them for help with service and activities. “We weren’t talking before, and so we’re competing for kind of the same students there and it was hurting both organizations,” Dymock said. “Now if we can project out and be a part of the council, and know what’s coming down calender-wise, we can plan

- See SCREAM, page 3

Aggies lose pants to help insulate houses

Opinion “I hope our university continues to court controversy. As a public institution for higher learning, USU has that responsibility.” Page 11

Almanac Today in History: In 1991, former U.S. postal worker Joseph Harris “goes postal” and shoots two former co-workers in Ridgewood, N.J. The day before, he killed his former supervisor with a three-foot samurai sword and shot her fiance at their home.

Weather High: 70° Low: 32° Skies: Sunny and clear with SW winds 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Archives and breaking news always ready for you at www.utahstatesman.com

By BRIA JONES staff writer

At least one student decided to walk around campus without his pants Monday after donating them to be recycled into insulation for housing at Cotton’s Dirty Laundry Tour. “I’m not opposed to going around like this,” said Lance Brown, junior in sports marketing, who was wearing Cotton Inc. boxers in place of his missing pants. Brown said he won the boxers at one of the booths and decided to wear them so he could donate his denim. The donated denim will be recycled into insulation to be used in houses built by Habitat for Humanity for Hurricane Katrina victims. Cotton’s Dirty Laundry Tour visited USU as part of a marketing campaign to reach the college demographic. Cotton Inc. is working with Jack Morton Worldwide, an experiential marketing company based in New York, N.Y., to bring the tour to 11 college campuses through Nov. 6. “We want to remind students that most of what’s in their closet is cotton, like denim,” said Katie Reedy, a representative of Jack Morton Worldwide. Brown said he liked the Dirty Laundry Tour campaign and thought it was an exciting event for the school to host. Lance Brown, junior in sports marketing, dropped his drawers for a cause, Monday. Cotton’s Dirty Laundry Tour was on “I don’t mind people marketing,” he campus asking students to give up their denim to be used as insu- said. “It provides something fun. That’s what I like about USU; there’s always somelation for houses Habitat for Humanity is building for Hurricane thing going on.” Katrina victims. DEBRA HAWKINS photo

The tour was hosted by ASUSU and the College of Natural Resources, with the Public Relations Student Society of America coordinating the denim collection efforts. Kevin Crouch, president of PRSSA, said the group had collected about 120 pieces of denim after the event ended. The goal, Crouch said, is to have 500 pairs of denim, which can produce enough insulation for one house, by the time collection ends. Last year, the tour visited Weber State University’s campus, and from the 14 universities involved, the denim drive collected about 14,500 pieces of denim, Crouch said. Denim for the project can be in any condition, PRSSA treasurer Jackie Banda said, whether in scraps, covered in paint or brand new. Banda said students can continue to donate their denim at any box with the Cotton Inc. logo, located in the Institute building, through the end of the week, as well as the Taggart Student Center and Animal Science building through the next three weeks. The tour featured several booths with different activities for students to win prizes, including two where students could get a free T-shirt customized and enter to win gift cards and denim clothing. Cotton’s Dirty Laundry Tour’s next stop is California State University in Fresno. For more information about the tour or the Cotton Inc. denim drive, visit the tour’s Web site, accesscotton.com. –bri.jones@aggiemail.usu.edu


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